Self-Gifting: With Love From Myself

Self-gifting, when a person gives themselves a gift, appears to become increasingly common. However, not much is known about why or when people buy themselves gifts. But here is some information on what is known about self-gifting.

People often say that they fancied ‘treating’ themselves when talking about something they have just bought. A survey suggested that as many as 75 percent of a given population, at some time or another, will treat themselves to a gift. And around 13 percent will do it regularly. It is worth noting that self-gifting differs from everyday purchases such as simply purchasing a new whisk to replace one that broke. A self-gift is a purchase that is motivated by a desire to indulge oneself, which will explain why many treat themselves to a gift for a specific occasion such as a birthday. Equally, it will explain why many say they do it as it is deserved due to working hard. Thus, demonstrating how such purchases are hedonic as they happen because people are seeking pleasure.

As many as 40 percent of people reportedly don’t need any reason for self-gifting and over 60 percent consider it important to purchase themselves gifts. Women have also been found to be more likely to self-gift but generally spend less than men do on self-gifts.

When do people self-gift?

There does not seem to be a particular time when people self-gift. However, as it is associated with pleasure-seeking it is not surprising that many are more likely to self-gift for occasions such as Christmas and Valentine’s Day as they are closely associated with pleasure. For Valentine’s Day people are happy to splurge on luxury gifts to substitute the pleasure that one may receive from a loved one. Women, in particular, have been found to like the idea of self-gifting during Valentine's, especially if they are single as it gives them a chance to celebrate on their terms.

Source: Courtesy of Ruba Abdulaziz - Pexels

Self-gifting for special occasions, such as Valentine’s, is also dependent on stress levels, in that those who experience more stress are more likely to purchase themselves a Valentine's gift. Perhaps suggesting that when life throws a person off balance, they look for comfort in self-gifting. Something that has also been found in a recent study where it was identified that people self-gift because they have experienced an adverse event. For example, when people go through a severe break-up, as opposed to a harmonious one, they are more likely to self-gift as a reward. It seems that they engage in consumer rewards as they have feelings of deservingness.

Who self-gifts?

People who have higher levels of self-esteem are more comfortable with self-gifting. This applies to all types of gifts whether it is therapeutically linked or simply for pleasure. Interestingly, people with an independent make-up and high self-esteem are also more likely to respond positively to advertising slogans related to self-gifting such as L’ Oréal’s 'Because I am worth it'. This makes sense as such advertising slogans usually are associated with being a strong independent individual and self-esteem has been found to be lower for those with higher conformity values.

Whilst you may think that people self-gift when they are feeling tense as a way to compensate and boost their emotional well-being, research has found the opposite. This is because people believe that they will be unable to focus on the self-gift experience and thus miss out on the potential benefits it may bring to your life. This is unfortunate as self-gifting, even though it may seem frivolous, can have a positive impact on general well-being.

Just think, if you buy a massage or get some scented oils for a bath to wind down when feeling stressed, this can help you feel generally better. However, if people have money worries or are short of time, they may think that they will be unable to relax and enjoy the self-gift and therefore reject a purchase that may help them alleviate (at least to some extent) the tension they experience. This may be an unfortunate paradox in that when people feel the tensest may be the time, they benefit the most from self-gifting as long as it is the right kind of self-gifting.